An Easy Mark
by Dottie
Summary: What if Amanda decided she wanted more than friendship with Lee? Or are things as they seem? AU
1. Chapter 1

This story was written over 7 years ago, but for some reason, I was  
having a horrible time polishing it, and in particular, fixing some  
POV problems it contained. Well, 2 years ago, I finally went back to it, and I  
think I fixed most of the problems at that time. I published it on the Yahoo

SMK fanfic site at that time, but for some reason, did not get around to publishing it here.

It is completed, and I'll be posting in sections over the next week or so.

I hope you enjoy it!

Dottie

***DISCLAIMER*** Scarecrow and Mrs. King is copyrighted to Warner  
Brothers and Shoot the Moon Production Company. The story is  
copyrighted to the author. This story is for entertainment purposes  
only and cannot be redistributed without the permission of the  
author.

Title: An Easy Mark

Author: Dottie

Date Written: March 2002 – June 2002 (but polished up in 2007)

Rating: PG

Synopsis: What if Amanda decided she wanted more than friendship  
with Lee? Or are things as they seem? AU

Author's Note: This story follows my own little universe of "A Long  
New Year's Eve" and "Out of Delirium". While it does stand by  
itself, some of Lee's thoughts in Part 2 might be better understood  
if you've already read these. They are archived at  
and (the list archive). For purposes of this story,  
I'm going to assume that the time frame is after "Delirious on  
Arrival", even though it takes place a few weeks before (hey, since  
this is AU, I thought I'd play with the sequence of episodes a bit  
too). Many thanks to both Ceeg and Dix who beta'd this several  
years ago. Any remaining errors are of course mine.

Feedback: Please! I love to know when people like a story (or not,  
as the case may be).

Archive: At . Anyone else, please ask first.

An Easy Mark

Part 1

She sat in her car as she watched the brunette woman exit the  
building. It was about 3:00 pm, and she had been sitting there all  
day after following her target to this location. She observed her  
getting into her car, and exiting the parking lot.

`One down, one to go,' she thought to herself. The day had been  
deadly dull, but she knew how to be patient. If she just waited a  
bit longer, her real quarry just might be coming along. After  
another two hours, the door opened, and he exited the building. As  
he turned the other way, toward the parking lot, she left her car,  
smoothed out her skirt and hair, then ran to catch up with him.

***

"Lee! Wait up!" she shouted to the man in front of her.

"Amanda, what are you doing here?" he questioned, as he stopped and  
turned around. "I thought you left a couple of hours ago."

"I did." she replied. "But mother had an errand out this way, and  
I asked her to drop me off. I was hoping to catch you before you  
left."

"You got here just in time. I decided to call it a day. I've been  
following too many dead-end paper trails today," he sighed, running  
his left hand through his hair. "I thought that maybe if I took a  
break, I'd be able to get a better handle on it tomorrow."

"Well, in that case, maybe we could go out for a drink. You know,  
try to get your mind off of work for a bit."

"Sure, sure, that sounds like a great idea." he said agreeably, as  
they continued toward the car. "But why were you looking for me,  
anyway?" He asked, a slightly puzzled look on his face. After all,  
he had seen her earlier in the day, and nothing had seemed unusual  
then. As they reached his car, he opened the passenger side door  
and helped her into her seat.

"Oh, I don't know," she answered, her eyes darting downward. "I  
just wanted to have a chance to talk to you . . . you know, outside  
of work, for a change."

"Alright," he answered, as he quickly crossed the to the driver side  
and settled himself into his seat.

"Where to? Is Monk's OK?" he asked as he revved up the engine.

"Oh, no," she answered, a little too quickly. "I thought maybe  
someplace else. I've heard the Radburn Hotel has a nice live band  
playing on Thursdays. Maybe we could go there, just for a change of  
pace."

"Okay," he answered, as he turned the corner in the direction of the  
Radburn. He glanced at her sideways for a moment, then  
asked, "Amanda, is something wrong?"

"No, why would you ask that?" she questioned nervously.

"I don't know. Something just seems different about you this  
evening, like you're on edge about something. Has Francine been  
hassling you at work again? Is that what you wanted to talk to me  
about?" he asked, giving her an understanding look. Amanda usually  
managed to handle the senior agent without any problem, but he knew  
very well how trying Francine could be sometimes. Maybe Amanda had  
finally reached her breaking point with her.

"No, it doesn't have anything to do with Francine, Lee," she  
answered.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was definitely  
different about Amanda this evening. Maybe the reality of the  
danger she had been in on the Retzig case the previous week had  
finally caught up with her. Lee knew from experience that sometimes  
these things could have a delayed reaction. If he could help her by  
lending her his ear for the evening, well that would be a small  
price to pay, considering all the help she had been to him recently.

The rest of the drive was uncharacteristically silent as they drove  
across town. `Something really must be bothering her.' he  
thought. 'She's not even rambling about the boys' latest exploits.'

Finally, they arrived at their destination, and quickly secured a  
quiet table toward the back of the room.

"Lee, could you order me a glass of white wine? I just need to make  
a quick stop in the Ladies Room."

"Sure, Amanda. It should be here by the time you get back," he  
smiled reassuringly at her as she got up from her seat.

He watched her walking away, still wondering what was so different  
about her tonight.

***

Lee stood up as she arrived back at their table, helping her into  
her chair.

"Thank you, Lee," she said, smiling, as she lifted her glass in a  
toast. "To friends," she said.

"To friends," he answered, reaching over to touch his glass to hers  
in response. The instruments played in the background, the sound of  
mellow big band tunes permeating the air.

She sipped her wine, looking around the room, everywhere but at Lee.

"Amanda, I can tell something's bothering you tonight," he said,  
reaching out to cover her hand with his own. "Can't you tell me  
what it is?" he queried. His look was probing, as if this alone  
would cause her to open up to him. Unconsciously, he gently stroked  
the back of her hand with his fingertips. "After all, you're the  
one always telling me that I shouldn't keep everything bottled up  
inside. Maybe you should take your own advice?" He sought to meet  
her eyes with his own, but she still wouldn't look directly at him.

She took a large gulp of wine as she began to answer him. "I guess  
I am sort of frazzled tonight, Lee. It's just that, everyone seems  
to have a role for me, that I'm expected to play." She let out a  
big sigh as she quickly downed the rest of her wine and reached for  
the bottle to replenish her glass. "I'm supposed to be the dutiful  
daughter, super-mom, getting involved in all of the boys'  
activities, super-volunteer at school, and that's just in my off  
time." She took another few sips of wine, her eyes seeming  
inordinately interested in his hand stroking her own, concentrating  
on that instead of the face before her. It seemed to hold all of  
her attention as she turned her hand over, caressing the palm of  
Lee's hand in turn. "I'm also supposed to bring home a paycheck  
while taking care of all these other things," she went on. She  
continued drinking as she caressed him, finally asking, "And when is  
there supposed to be anything left for me?" She finally looked up  
at him, with a sad look, something in her expression seeming almost  
dead. "When am I supposed to recharge and get what I need?"

She replenished her glass again, immediately taking a few more sips.

"Amanda - ," Lee started to interrupt.

"No, I'm not finished yet." she said. She shifted her gaze, staring  
down at the table again. Her hand left his, and began making small  
pleats in the tablecloth along the edge of the table. "I'm Mom, and  
daughter, and co-worker, and maybe even friend," she said looking up  
again at his face. "But does anybody really see me? Does anybody  
really know me?" She finished off her glass of wine and reached for  
the bottle again.

"Hey," Lee said, his voice taking on a joking quality. "Don't you  
think you've had enough for now?" he asked, grinning, concerned by  
how much wine she had consumed in such a short time. He reached to  
take the bottle away from her.

Stubbornly, she pulled the bottle back, and refilled her  
glass. "No, not nearly enough. You know, I can't even tell anybody  
what I really do for a living!"

"Amanda," he gently answered her. "You're all of those people that  
you're talking about. You're a great mom and daughter. And you're  
a pretty terrific friend, too, you know. But sometimes you have to  
be happy with letting people see just that side of you that they're  
used to seeing. Your mom would just be too upset to know what you  
do for a living, and it would be too dangerous to tell her or anyone  
else." He reached for her hand again as he was speaking, quieting  
her nervous motion.

"Lee, don't you ever get lonely?" she asked, a plaintive tone to  
her voice, as she continued drinking. "Don't you ever get tired of  
not being able to let people know who you really are?"

Somehow, the conversation had just drifted into a direction in which  
he was unwilling to go.

"Amanda, this isn't about me, and you know it. This is about you,  
and what's bothering you tonight."

"But that's part of what's bothering me. You're the only friend I  
have that I can tell about work, but sometimes I think you see me  
as `just an associate'. You're the person who at least knows about  
all these balls I'm supposed to be juggling, and sometimes I think  
you don't really know me at all."

Just then, the band began to play "Moonlight Serenade", and she  
grabbed his hand, standing up as she asked, "Will you dance with me?"

"Of course, Amanda," he said as he too rose from the table and led  
her to the dance floor.

He was thoroughly puzzled by her behavior this evening. He held her  
in his arms and moved rhythmically with her to the music's familiar  
strains, all the while wondering if he should recommend a trip to  
the Agency shrink.

As the song ended, the band immediately launched into another slow  
tune. He began to draw away from her, but she pulled him closer,  
and whispered into his ear, "Please, I don't want to sit down just  
yet. Dance with me again, please?" she questioned.

"Okay," he answered, as he once again began to sway, holding her  
protectively in his arms.

This time as they danced, she moved her body closer to his, and  
began to caress the hair at the nape of his neck. Then she started  
to rub her cheek against the side of his face as she sighed softly,  
her voice no more than a soft moan. He inhaled sharply, confused by  
her actions.

"Amanda, what are you doing?" he asked her in a hoarse whisper, his  
arms stiffening, trying to put some distance between them without  
offending her. He swallowed hard to try to alleviate the suddenly  
dry feeling in his throat.

"Don't you know?" she asked, her sultry voice reverberating in his  
ear. "I asked you before whether or not you ever get lonely. Well  
I do get lonely. Do you know how long it's been since I've been  
held? Since I've been kissed? Since a man has looked at me as a  
woman, and not as the mom of one of their kid's friends, or as a  
fellow volunteer, or even as a friend? Can you tell me you don't  
feel anything right now, Lee?"

He didn't answer her. His expression mirrored that of a deer caught  
in the headlights. He seemed too caught up in the feelings she was  
inciting by her touch to move. She pressed her advantage, and drew  
her head slightly away from his, her gaze falling on his mouth  
before her lids closed and her questing lips sought his out. He  
moaned as their kiss deepened, and they came to a standstill on the  
dance floor.

Their kiss was interrupted by the sounds of clapping as the band  
finished their set. She backed away from him and took his hand,  
leading him back to the table. As they sat down, she leaned over to  
kiss him again, this time caressing his chest through the crisp  
material of his shirt, beneath his jacket.

"We could get a room, you know," she whispered to him. "Or go back  
to your place if you'd rather. Either is fine with me."

"Amanda," a thoroughly shocked Lee began, as he struggled to voice  
his objections. He placed his hands over hers, and gently removed  
them from his chest, slowly backing away from her at the same time.

"Shhh," she interrupted him. "Don't turn me down, Lee. Not  
tonight. I need you tonight."

"Amanda, you're not thinking straight tonight. You've had too much  
to drink, and you're confused," he began, struggling to find a way  
to explain his feelings without insulting her. "You're my friend,  
my partner," he told her sincerely. "I can't take advantage of you  
like this. And besides, it would change everything. You'd probably  
hate me tomorrow, and that's the last thing I want. The last thing  
either one of us wants. Please, let me take you home now, and we  
can talk about this tomorrow when we're both thinking more clearly."

"No! If that's how you really feel, then this whole thing was a  
mistake anyway. Obviously I can't talk to you about this, can't  
tell you how I'm feeling." Rapidly pushing her chair back, she rose  
from the table, and turned away from him. In a haughty voice, she  
said as she turned her face back toward him, "I'm catching a cab  
home. And since you don't want to talk about it now, please don't  
bring it up ever again. I'd like to pretend it never happened.  
Goodnight Lee."

Quickly she stormed out of the room.

****TO BE CONTINUED****


	2. Chapter 2

***See Chapter 1 post for disclaimers****

Part 2

A very confused Lee Stetson watched her walk out of the bar and he  
swiftly decided to follow her. He threw a few bills on the table  
and exited the room just as he saw the elevator doors closing with  
Amanda inside. He rapidly made a dash for the stairs, and barreled  
down them as speedily as possible without falling. As he reached  
the bottom floor and opened the stairwell door, he could see her  
making for the hotel entrance. Still intent on his pursuit, he  
followed her outside, just in time to see her hailing a cab.

"Amanda, please wait! I need to talk to you!" he yelled out,  
hoping to get her attention.

"I think you've said about all that needs to be said," she answered  
icily as she turned back toward him.

"Don't leave like this," he pleaded, his hand reaching out to touch  
her arm. "Look, I don't know if you're in any condition to be out  
by yourself right now. Why don't you come back inside and we'll  
have some coffee. Then I'll be happy to drive you home."

"Lee, I'm an adult, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of  
myself." Her eyes narrowed as she answered him heatedly. "And to  
be honest, I really don't want to be with you right now, after  
making a fool of myself like that. Now please, just leave me  
alone. I'm going to go straight home. After all, I've got a lot to  
do before the boys' camping trip this weekend."

Reluctantly he released his hold on her as he mutely watched her  
enter the cab.

He stood on the sidewalk staring while the taxi drove off into the  
night. Lee went back up to the bar and ordered a scotch. He was  
feeling puzzled. This was not the Amanda that he knew. Or was she  
right? Did he really know her at all? The previous week when she  
had accidentally been drugged, she had done many things that he  
wouldn't have expected of her. There, in the Agency clinic, while  
waiting for the antidote to kick in, she had tried to seduce him,  
and he had been hard pressed to get away from her without offending  
her. In fact, a part of him hadn't wanted to get away from her at  
all. She hadn't seemed to remember any of it afterwards, but the  
memory of that evening had been invading his dreams all week long.  
He would awaken, embarrassed that he had been having such dreams  
about her, but feeling an emptiness that he couldn't quite explain  
to himself.

Sure, he had kissed her before, both undercover, and last week when  
she hadn't been quite herself. But under both circumstances, her  
kisses had been somehow different. Tonight, there was a sense of  
recklessness in her touch. As if she thought there was no way he  
would be able to turn her down. Like he would be happy to bed her  
just because she was offering, without any regard for the friendship  
or close working relationship they shared. Almost as if she didn't  
know him at all.

Suddenly, he had a horrifying thought. What if the antidote hadn't  
really worked? What if she was undergoing some strange personality  
change as a result of the hallucinogens in the chicken salad  
sandwich she had eaten?

He didn't know, but he would have to find out as soon as possible.  
He settled his tab and decided that a return trip to the Agency was  
in order. He would talk to Dr. Fronin to find out what he thought  
of her unusual behavior. Of course, he would have to swear him to  
secrecy. Amanda would be horrified if any of this information made  
it into the gossip mill. At least, he thought she would be  
horrified. It was time to get some answers.

With that, he left and soon found himself on the familiar streets  
leading back to the Agency.

****To Be Continued****


	3. Chapter 3

***See Part 1 for disclaimers***

Part 3

She walked into the house and immediately entered the bathroom,  
slamming the door behind her. Studying her reflection in the  
mirror, she wanted to scream. All her hard work, all that  
preparation, for nothing.

"Dammit, I thought I had him! He was supposed to be an easy  
mark," she shrieked, banging her hands on the counter.

Well at least it hadn't been a complete loss. She was well aware  
that Gordon Redding thought it would be impossible for her to fool  
Lee Stetson into believing she was Amanda King. That they worked  
too closely together, and knew one another too well. She had  
fooled him all right. Her plan had been simple. Bring him to a bar  
and quickly down a few drinks. Then he would probably attribute any  
differences he saw to the alcohol. She knew just what to say to  
make him think that she was Amanda, but in a different frame of mind  
tonight. After all, it had worked with Credle and Treloggen. He  
wouldn't be so different, once she convinced him that she was  
interested in more than just a drink and some conversation. Stetson  
had a reputation as a ladies man, and she was sure he wouldn't pass  
up the opportunity she would be offering him. In the end, that  
would be his undoing, just like the others.

But that wasn't how it had played out. Initially, he seemed to be  
falling for her act, trying to comfort and reassure her. Then as  
they had danced, she just knew that he felt an attraction toward  
her. He certainly hadn't pulled away when she had kissed him. But  
that was where it had ended. As soon as she suggested a room, he  
had backed off. That was the problem, Stetson really did care for  
that little piece of milk-toast, Amanda King. He was trying to help  
her, and specifically trying not to take advantage of her emotional  
state of mind.

And to think that she had considered breaking her own "rules of the  
game" for him. "Never get involved with a hit," she always told  
herself. But he was quite attractive, a graceful dancer, and she  
thought it could be fun to have a little recreation before snuffing  
out his life. She hadn't done that much for either Credle or  
Treloggen. No, as soon as she had their guns, she had executed  
them, completing her contract.

She'd have to think of something different with Stetson. They had  
found out that Amanda King was going to be leaving town for a few  
days tomorrow. She could replace her at home, and maybe find a way  
to lure Stetson over. Maybe if she acted depressed, and repentant  
for making such a fool of herself tonight, she could talk him into  
coming by. Then that would be it for him. She could get her payoff  
and blow town before Amanda King ever got back. After that she  
could change her look again, and she'd never have to see that  
miserable little Gordon Redding again. The man was such a spineless  
coward, but he did have the money to pay her, and that was all she  
really cared about.

"Yes, Karen Brinkman, tomorrow's going to work out just fine," she  
said out loud, a devious grin reflected back at her. "Stetson will  
never even know what hit him when his darling Amanda shoots him  
down."


	4. Chapter 4

***See part 1 for disclaimers***  
Part 4

Lee entered the main foyer of the Georgetown building housing The  
Agency. He checked in with Mrs. Marston, then started toward the  
elevator that would bring him toward the level of Fronin's lab.

"Oh, Mr. Stetson," Mrs. Marston called out, before the elevator door  
could open.

"Yes, Mrs. Marston?" he questioned, turning back toward her.

"Mrs. King was looking for you earlier."

"I know, she found me when I left earlier this evening."

"No, not then. About an hour ago, she came in with a file folder  
looking for you."

"What?" he asked. "That's just not possible." he turned and made  
his way back to the older woman's desk.

"Of course it is," she insisted. "I've got her checked in right  
here. Amanda King, 5:45 pm. She hasn't checked out again yet if  
you're looking for her." she added helpfully.

"Thank you Mrs. Marston, I'll see if I can find her."

He proceeded to enter the elevator, but pressed the button to reach  
the bullpen instead of the clinic, as he had intended just moments  
before. The day just seemed to be getting stranger and stranger.  
Amanda couldn't have checked in at 5:45 pm, because at that time  
they were sharing a drink together. Maybe if he could find Amanda  
and speak to her, they could straighten this whole thing out.

Entering the bullpen, he saw her sitting at his desk, apparently  
writing him a note.

"Amanda? When did you get here?" he asked. He needed answers, and  
he needed them now. He noticed that she was wearing a red skirt and  
white blouse, topped off by a white button down sweater. This was  
the same thing she had been wearing earlier in the day. But it was  
different from what she had been wearing just a short time ago.

"Oh, hi Lee," she greeted him. "I don't know. I guess I got here,  
oh, around an hour ago," she said, looking at her wristwatch.

She continued on, "I was just going to leave you a note. I knew you  
needed the rest of this transcript by tomorrow, but I had to leave  
early to pick up the boys from school this afternoon. Well, they  
went off to a friend's house to play, and Mother got back home from  
her bridge club, so I thought I'd bring the finished version in.  
Then, since I was already here, I figured I'd straighten up a bit,  
and file a few things for you. You remember, I'm not going to be  
here tomorrow. I'm going to be packing up the car so we can leave  
on our camping trip early since the boys don't have school  
tomorrow.

"You've been here for an hour?" he questioned.

"Yes, about that long, I think. Why, is there a problem with my time  
sheet?" she asked, still oblivious to the cause of his agitation.

"You weren't with me at the Radburn?" he asked.

"Lee, are you feeling all right? I haven't gone anywhere with you  
today, and you know that. What are you talking about?"

"Come with me to the conference room, we need to get something  
straightened out."

With that he led her into the nearest conference room, his hand on  
the small of her back, guiding her.

As he closed the door, he turned her toward him, his hands grasping  
her by the arms.

"Lee, you're starting to worry me. Please tell me what's bothering  
you," she asked, her concern evident in her voice.

As she spoke, he could detect no trace of alcohol on her breath.

"You haven't had anything to drink this evening, have you." he  
asked.

"No, why would I be having something to drink here at work? Was  
somebody throwing a party?" Her bewilderment was plain to see.

He persisted in his questioning, "And you weren't out with me an  
hour ago, were you?"

"Of course not, Lee. I've already told you that. How could I be  
out with you when I've been here all this time?"

"And you're not angry with me?" he continued.

"No, but if you don't tell me what's going on soon, I think I'm  
gonna start to worry about you," she added, a concerned look on her  
face.

"I think we'd better sit down, and I'll tell you what happened to me  
after I left work today."

With that, he recounted to her all of the events that had occurred  
that evening. As he finished he waited for her reaction. She  
looked flustered, and it took her a moment before she finally began  
to speak.

"You mean to tell me that you thought that I . . .that you . . .a  
room?" she asked incredulously, pointing to each of them in turn,  
all the while blushing furiously.

"No, no, I didn't think that at all. I thought you were having some  
kind of delayed reaction to the drugs Retzig slipped you in that  
sandwich last week. Obviously, it wasn`t you, but an awfully good  
imitation."

"But Lee, why would someone be impersonating me?

"To get to me, I think. It's time to get Billy in on this. You  
stay here, and I'll see if he's still in the office." With that he  
left, returning minutes later with their section chief.

Again, he repeated the whole sequence of events that had occurred  
over the past few hours, this time including Amanda's return to the  
agency.

"But sir," Amanda asked. "Lee said this woman was impersonating me  
to get to him. Get to him for what? Was she trying to get  
information from him?"

Billy looked over at Lee, and simply said, "Credle and Treloggan."

"Who?" Amanda asked.

"Credle and Treloggan," Lee answered. "Two agents who were recently  
found dead in the middle of the day in hotel rooms."

"You mean she was going to . . ." Amanda started incredulously.

"That's right," Lee answered. "Lure me to a hotel room, and shoot  
me, just like she shot Credle and Treloggan. With their own guns,  
no less."

"But that means they thought that I . . . .Oh my gosh!" she  
exclaimed.

"It's not your fault Amanda," Billy interrupted her, calmly patting  
her on the arm. "They let their guards down. No one could have  
expected something like this. Scarecrow, does this woman really  
look that much like Amanda?" he asked the younger man.

"She looks like her all right. She even sounds like her. But there  
was something that just didn't seem quite right from the beginning,  
I just couldn't put my finger on it. Something in her eyes was  
different. At first I thought that something must be bothering  
you," he went on, speaking directly to Amanda. "Then, later, I  
thought that you had just had too much to drink."

"Lee, you know I don't drink - not like that." she said, still  
seeming embarrassed by the whole situation.

"Of course I know that. But that's part of what made me think  
something was wrong. I think she wasn't counting on the fact that I  
know you so well. Or that you're my friend," he said, nodding, an  
unashamed look of admiration lighting his face.

"Well, be that as it may, people, we've got an imposter to catch,  
before she can do any more damage," Billy declared adamantly.

"Sir, one thing," Amanda asked, a sudden look of fear crossing her  
face. "If she knows how I look, and how I act, and what my plans  
are for the next few days, doesn't that mean that she, or someone  
else, has been watching me? Watching my family? What if they  
decide to try to replace me at home? Sir, my family needs  
protection."

"I was just about to put a team on that, Amanda. But that's good  
thinking on your part," he smiled approvingly. "We'll have someone  
watching them around the clock."

"Thank you, sir," she answered gratefully. "But should we cancel  
our plans for the weekend?"

"No," Lee interrupted. "I think you should do exactly what you  
planned this weekend. We'll have someone watching the house, to see  
if she shows up there. After all, it would be the perfect way to  
replace you. She wouldn't have to worry about the real you showing  
up, after all."

"I'll have Francine set up the surveillance details," Billy said,  
leaving the room. "You two should leave at separate times, in case  
anyone is watching outside."

"Alright Billy," Lee answered. "I'll let Amanda leave first, in  
just a few minutes."

As the door closed behind Billy, Lee reached for her hand. "I'm  
glad you're OK, Amanda. That's what's important."

"Me too," she said, her eyes shining. "I'm so glad you didn't  
believe her. If you had, you'd probably be dead by now." There was  
a slight catch in her voice, as if even saying such a thing made it  
seem more possible.

"Hey, I'm Ok. Don't you worry about that. We're gonna find her.  
We're gonna make sure she doesn't hurt anybody else. That's a  
promise," he said, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Why don't you leave now," he went on. "I'll hang around for  
awhile, like I told Billy. Maybe I'll help Francine with some of  
the set-up work for tomorrow. I'll see you soon, OK?" he asked,  
leading her to the door.

"Sure thing," she answered, smiling back at him. "You'll be  
careful, won't you?"

"Always," he answered her confidently.

***TBC In part 5***


	5. Chapter 5

***See Disclaimer in Part 1***

Part 5

In a car down the street from Amanda's home, Gordon Redding and  
Karen Brinkman sat, trying to unobtrusively observe the occupants of  
the inviting white house.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Karen remarked to her partner in  
crime. "It looks like they're packing up the last few things for  
their trip. How much stuff do you need just to go camping,  
anyway?" she questioned.

"Oh, you know the trailblazers," he replied. "Always prepared."

"Well I don't think she'll be prepared for what she'll find when she  
gets home," Karen answered with a smirk. "There they go. They`re  
pulling out of the driveway now." she said, covering her face with  
the newspaper she held. "Time to turn into sweet little Amanda, and  
set a trap for her Scarecrow."

Redding looked toward her. He decided that he was going to be glad  
when this was all over. Yes, revenge, especially toward Stetson,  
was going to be sweet. But secretly, this woman really gave him the  
creeps. She enjoyed killing entirely too much.

Several minutes after the departing car had passed them, they both  
got out of their vehicle, and started to approach Amanda's house.  
From around the corner, a van pulled up, and three armed men exited  
quickly, yelling "Freeze, federal agents!"

Karen gave him a panicked look, then shouted, "Quick Redding, back  
in the car!"

They both ran the few steps back to the car, Redding taking a bullet  
in the leg just as he was entering the passenger side of the sedan.  
Karen immediately started the car, peeling out from the curb.

"Faster," he cried. "We've got to lose them and get back to the  
house." Redding was holding his right leg, blood seeping through  
the gaps in his fingers.

She maneuvered dangerously in traffic, cutting people off, and  
zooming through red lights. Finally, it seemed that they had lost  
their tail. More cautiously, she made her way back to the rented  
house that had been their hide-out. What she didn't notice was that  
another car had picked up their trail several blocks back.

Redding was gasping in pain, moaning aloud through clenched teeth.

"Don't be such a wimp," she said unsympathetically. "It's probably  
not all that bad. I'll take a look at it and bandage it when we get  
back to the house."

"How did they find us?" he managed to gasp.

"I don't know," she answered. "But I think this is definitely going  
to make it more difficult to nail Stetson. Since they're on the  
lookout for me now, I'll have to kill him without being seen. You  
wouldn't consider a bonus for pulling it off, would you?"

"Always money with you," he said, grimacing. "I think you'd better  
be sure that I'm going to pull through this if you expect to be paid  
at all."

"Oh, you will. It doesn't look that bad. I've seen worse," she  
muttered as they pulled into the driveway of their lair.

They exited the car, without incident this time, Karen helping  
Redding quickly into the back entrance of the house. Down the  
block, two agency sedans and a van pulled up, agents quickly  
spilling out of the vehicles. They quickly conferred on the best  
way to surround the dwelling, and soon took up their positions.

***  
Lee hadn't been in the van when the shooting had started. He had  
been down the street, and around the corner, in one of the cars,  
which eventually picked up the suspects' trail, to the upscale home  
they now saw before them. The agents quickly devised a plan of  
attack, formulating a way to cover all exits and sweep each room as  
quickly as possible, minimizing the fugitives' chance of escape.

With practiced stealth and synchronization, they burst into both  
front and back doors simultaneously.

Gordon Redding was sitting at the kitchen table, his injured leg  
propped up on another chair. "Don't shoot!" he cried out, at the  
first sign of danger. Even though he had a gun on the table in  
front of him, he held his hands high, and had turned a ghostly shade  
of white. The three agents he saw before him, all of their guns  
trained on him, were just too much for him. "Don't shoot, I  
surrender. Please, just get me to a hospital. I don't want to die."

"Okay, tough guy," Francine said, eyeing him scornfully, as she  
confiscated his gun and took out her handcuffs. "Where's your fake  
Amanda hiding? We know she's here."

"I don't know," he answered fearfully. "She left me here a few  
minutes ago. She said she was going to go find some first aid  
supplies, but I haven't seen her since. I think she's abandoned  
me. Please, can you get me to a hospital?"

"We'll get you an ambulance," Billy Melrose answered  
gruffly. "Fred, Francine and I are going to pursue the other  
suspect," he said, addressing the remaining agent. "Can you keep  
an eye on this guy, and call for an ambulance?"

"Sure, Billy, no problem," the man responded. "We don't want to  
give her a chance to get away."

With that, Billy and Francine resumed their search of the house.

***

Lee Stetson and Frank Duffy entered the front of the house, while  
the remaining agents waited outside, covering all the exits. Lee  
nodded his head in the direction of the staircase, while motioning  
with his hands that he would search the remainder of the downstairs,  
meeting up with the other agents towards the back of the house.  
Frank nodded his agreement, his eyes appraising the length of the  
steps he found before him.

With that, the pair split up, each moving cautiously along their  
chosen route.  
Lee had already gone through the dining room and an elegant  
ballroom, when he came to a richly appointed sitting area. It was  
an unusual room, in that it had three entrances, the one Lee was  
coming through, and two doors on the wall directly facing him. But  
what drew his attention immediately was the sight of the woman tied  
to the chair facing him.

"Amanda, what are you doing here!" he cried out. He knew that it  
could be the imposter. But if this was the fake Amanda, Redding's  
accomplice, what was she doing tied up?"

"Lee, thank goodness you're here," she cried out. "Last night when  
I got home, this horrible man kidnapped me! And there was this  
woman who looked just like me with him. Lee, I think she's with the  
boys! You've got to find them. Who knows what she might do to  
them."

He looked over at her doubtfully, not sure whether this was a  
plausible explanation or not. Would the fake Amanda go off in the  
woods with the real Amanda's boys? Maybe she was going to kidnap  
Amanda's family to draw him out. He started toward her, still  
trying to determine whether or not she was the phony or the real  
thing.

"Lee, look out behind you!" she screamed, her eyes looking past him,  
toward the open doorway.

On sheer instinct, he turned around, pointing his gun toward the  
unknown threat. All at once, he heard three shots ring out behind  
him, and felt something whizzing past his left arm. Swiftly turning  
around, he saw what appeared to him to be Amanda slumped on the  
ground beside the chair, a gun lying beside her. In the doorways  
facing him, he saw Billy and Francine, guns still drawn, both  
staring at the woman crumpled on the floor.

"Amanda?" he asked, approaching her cautiously. He kicked the gun  
out of the way and knelt by her side.

She coughed painfully, and opened her eyes. "No, but you couldn't  
tell, could you, Stetson? I almost had you that time. If I had  
gotten you alone, you wouldn`t have stood a chance," she gasped  
out, struggling for breath.

Billy and Francine approached.

"It's not . . ." Francine asked, appalled by the sight before her.

"No, but she's an awfully convincing copy, isn't she?" Lee asked, as  
he took off his jacket to cover the pseudo-Amanda, to keep her from  
going into shock. "How did you know?" he asked, looking at his co-  
workers. "I wasn't even sure."

Billy answered for them.

"When we approached from the back of the house, we each took a  
door. We could see her in there talking to you, but when she  
tricked you into turning around, she threw off the ropes around her  
wrists, retrieved a gun from under her leg, and raised it up to  
shoot. I think we both knew that was something the real Amanda  
wouldn't do," he said, looking over at Francine, who was nodding  
her confirmation. "Instinct took over, and we both shot at the same  
time. I think she managed to get off a round too, before she went  
down."

"Yeah, Billy," Lee said, his hand absently fingering the gash in  
his jacket sleeve where the bullet had torn the fabric.

"I'll go see if that ambulance is here yet. I think she might be in  
worse shape than Redding," Francine said.

"Yeah, Thanks for walking in when you did," Lee responded, as she  
left the room. "You know," he added to Billy, "even knowing that  
it might not be the real Amanda, when she called for me to watch  
out, I guess my gut feelings just took over, and I turned around.  
That was a close one."

"Too close, Scarecrow. Too close," he answered

Lee wasn't going to admit it, but seeing her lying there like this,  
even knowing it wasn't really Amanda, gave him a sick feeling in the  
pit of his stomach. She didn't look good, and he didn't know if she  
would make it.

They stayed with her until the paramedics arrived, an agent riding  
in the ambulance with each suspect.

***TBC in Part 6 (Epilogue)***


	6. Chapter 6

***See Part 1 for disclaimers.***

Epilogue

Lee was sitting in his car across the street from the familiar house  
on Maplewood Drive. He had seen the family return a short while  
ago, and thought he would go around to the back of the house to get  
Amanda's attention. A tap at the kitchen window soon produced the  
desired response, and he waited on the porch for her to join him.

"Hi Lee," she greeted him in an enthusiastic whisper. "Did  
everything turn out all right this weekend? The agent who was  
assigned to us managed to get me a message when I was alone, and  
tell me everything was taken care of. But I couldn`t get any  
details out of him."

"Yeah, we caught the fake Amanda, and Gordon Redding too, the man  
who was bankrolling her. It seems he was trying to pay me back for  
the death of his brother. I had to shoot him when I was  
apprehending them on a case a few years back, and Gordon was looking  
for revenge."

"What about my double?" she asked, shuddering at the very thought of  
someone who looked enough like her to be able to take her place.

"Well, she wasn't so lucky. She was shot before we could take her  
into custody. She didn't make it. She died in the ambulance on the  
way to the hospital," he said gently, trying to gauge her  
reaction. That was one reason he was out here, so she could find  
out from him personally, instead of second or third hand at the  
office. Their workplace was abuzz, after it became general  
knowledge that a doppelganger Amanda had been running around,  
killing agents. It was supposed to be "need to know", but enough  
people had seen the counterfeit Amanda during Redding`s arrest, that  
it had become common knowledge.

"She's dead?" Amanda asked, aghast.

"Yes, Billy and Francine shot her. They didn't have a choice. She  
was aiming at me when they took her down."

She folded her arms, and seemed to draw inward upon herself. "Well,  
at least I won't have to worry about her trying to replace me  
somewhere down the road," she said, looking down at the ground.

"Amanda, don't close yourself off," he said, his hands going to her  
arms to comfort her. "None of this is your fault."

"I know Lee, but what if it had been me?."

"What?" he asked, puzzled.

"You said that Mr. Melrose and Francine shot her. Well, how did  
they know it wasn't really me, if she looked that much like me?" she  
asked.

"They knew it wasn't you, because Karen, that's what Redding told us  
her name was, was in the process of trying to shoot me when they  
fired on her. They knew that was something you would never do. I  
do think it shook them both up though, after they had shot her,  
seeing how much she looked like you."

"And you?" she questioned further, her arms reaching around him to  
steady herself.

"I knew it wasn't you. She told me after she was wounded. I think  
I would have figured it out soon anyway. But I didn't see her gun,  
and I couldn't have shot her, not knowing for sure. Amanda, the  
important thing to remember is that it wasn`t you. That you`re  
right here. That you`re not replaceable."

"Well, when you put it that way. . ." she began.

"I do. Amanda King, I'm very glad that you're OK, and that they  
didn't try to harm you."

He kissed her on the forehead, then quickly released her, moving  
away toward the side of the house.

"I'll see you on Monday?" he called out quietly, turning back  
toward her before he disappeared.

"Sure thing. First thing Monday morning, Lee," she answered  
him. "And Lee?" she added, causing him to turn around again.

"Yes?" he questioned.

After a pause, she finally said, "I'm glad you weren't hurt. Glad  
that everything worked out," she said, letting out a big sigh.

"Me too, Amanda. I'll see you Monday."

With that, he left, and headed back to his car, happy that his  
friend was back - the one that he knew so well, who would never let  
him down.

The End

Author end notes: Scenes, characters, and dialogue may have been  
borrowed from the episodes, "Odds On A Dead Pigeon" and "Delirious  
on Arrival". I got the idea for this story from a challenge posted  
by Kara on smkfanfic archive page (however, at the time, I didn't  
think it was a story that could be pulled off). Months later, the  
idea of how to do this came to me.

Did I have you fooled before part 3?


End file.
